Radiographic Comparison of Bovine Bone Substitute Alone versus Bovine Bone Substitute and Simvastatin for Human Maxillary Sinus Augmentation

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of bovine bone substitute (Compact Bone B. ®) alone versus bovine bone substitute and simvastatin for human maxillary sinus augmentation. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 16 sinuses in eight patients. Radiographic assessments were done preoperatively (T0), immediately (T1) and at nine months after sinus grafting (T2). Alveolar bone height and density were assessed on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans using Planmeca Romexis™ Imaging Software 2.2. Results: The change in alveolar bone height and density between T0, T1 and T2 was significant in both groups. Alveolar bone height (h0, h1, h2) and vertical height of the grafted bone (g1, g2) in three lines (anterior, middle and posterior) were not significantly different between groups. The grafted bone height shrinkage (%) in the anterior, middle and posterior limits of the augmented area were not significantly different between groups. The existing alveolar and grafted bone density increased significantly in both groups between T1 and T2, except for the existing alveolar bone density in the control group. There were no statistically significant differences between the alveolar bone density values obtained in TI and T2 between groups, except for the existing alveolar bone density at T1. Conclusions: This study did not show any significant positive effect for simvastatin in maxillary sinus augmentation based on radiographic examination

Frequency of Dental Implants Placed in the Esthetic Zone in Dental Clinic of Tehran University: A Descriptive Study

Objectives: Anterior maxilla, known as the esthetic zone, plays an important role in facial and smile esthetics. This study assessed the frequency of implant treatments in the esthetic zone of patients presenting to Dental Implant Department of Tehran University during 2002-2012. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on dental records of patients receiving implant treatment during 2002-2012. Patient records were retrieved from the archives and patient demographics, implant characteristics, failure rate, prevalence of complications and implant systems were collected. The data were reported as frequency and percentage. Results: Of a total of 2,381 implants placed in the mentioned time period, 492 (20.8%) had been placed in the anterior maxilla and 531 (22.3%) had been placed in the anterior mandible from canine to canine.  Timing of implant placement was immediate in 12.0%, early in 0.5% and late in 87.4%. Survival rate was 99.1%. Rate of failure was 0.8%. Failure rate was 0.4% in the maxillary and 1.1% in the mandibular canine to canine region. Complications were reported in 10.1% of patients. Rate of complications was 18.3% in the maxillary canine to canine, 8.9% in the mandibular canine to canine, 18.1% in the maxillary first premolar to first premolar and 9.5% in the mandibular first premolar to first premolar. The frequency of bone grafts placed in these areas was 17.6%, 33.9%, 13.6%, 32.1% and 14.3%, respectively. Conclusion: Of implants placed in our center, around 20% were in the anterior maxilla, and delayed implant placement was the most commonly adopted technique

Designing and standardizing a questionnaire for evaluating knowledge, attitude, and practice of Iranian adults with cardiovascular diseases about oral health

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death in Iran. Moreover, periodontal diseases are very common in our country. In this study, we have designed a standardized questionnaire for evaluating knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of Iranian adult patients with cardiovascular diseases about oral health. METHODS: For designing and standardizing a self-administered questionnaire, we performed a cross-sectional pilot study on 51 cases with periodontal complaints. A dentist carried out the physical examination to determine oral health indicators. Twelve experts and ten lay people of the target population answered questions about validity. Cronbach&rsquo;s alpha, factor analysis, and Pearson correlation coefficients were used in the analysis. RESULTS: The cases of this pilot study were middle aged, with moderate financial and health status, but low oral health and educational level. Debris score was correlated with all other physical exam findings except decay, missing, and filled (DMF). Reliability was 0.826 according to Cronbach&rsquo;s alpha score. Face validity was higher than 80%. Content validities of the whole of the questionnaire were 85.98% for clarity, 78.05% for relevancy, 85.16% for simplicity, and 82.32% for consistency of each question with the question set. Factor analysis showed that 15 components explain 74% of the total variance. CONCLUSION: This questionnaire is culturally adjusted and appropriate for our community, valid and reliable, and sufficiently estimates the variance of the oral health status. It can be used as a standard tool in further studies in adult population of the Iranian middle aged patients with low level of education and moderate socioeconomic status. &nbsp; Keywords: Questionnaires, Reproducibility of Results, Validation Studies, Validity, Reliability, Oral Health, Periodontal Diseases&nbsp;</div